Reporters on the Job

March 29, 2007

• Dedication: Correspondent Rania Abouzeid says that she was struck by the commitment of a psychiatrist in Syria who helps Iraqi refugee children who have been traumatized by the war (see story). "He was very genuine," she says about the father of four. "He found it difficult to maintain his professional distance, and his struggles mirrored some of those of the children."

The doctor told Rania that the kids taught him more than he taught them – and that he was hopeful, despite the children's harsh experiences. "He said that he learned there's hope no matter what, and that if there's someone there to help, people can get through terrible things. His dedication was so impressive, and it was reciprocated by the kids."

• Translation Not Really Needed: When contributor Daniela Gerson was having lunch with several Moroccan strawberry pickers in Spain, the subject of language – and being an outsider – came up (see story). The pickers told Daniela that they were sometimes called moros. "In Berber, they began to muse about its meaning and just how insulting that might be," says Daniela. "Then they all stopped and asked me. I said that I thought it referred to Moors, because they're in a region where the Moors lived before they were kicked out of Spain in the 15th century. That sense of always being an outsider is hard at times for them. One woman said that, generally, she feels freer in Spain, but that at home, she finds comfort in fitting in."